Entertaining a Small Thought

Epilogue: Entertaining a Small Thought

"I knew I'd find you around here." 

Rin held back a sigh as he opened his eyes upon hearing that familiarly cheeky voice. There, right above where he was lying down, the sun shining down behind her from behind the thick tree branches was Asuka leaning over him.

"Hey." The up-coming singing sensation of the nation smiled warmly with soft eyes. Big, emerald green eyes that were filled with concern. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"...'Suka?" Rin muttered with a tired slur as he rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Hey. You back from your tour already?"

"Yep! And look who I find slacking the moment I come back to town." Asuka smirked as she poked a gentle finger right into Rin's cheek a few times. "You're out here taking a nap under a tree in the middle of the day, and in your Ultimate Uniform? You're getting that purple suit of yours all dirty with dirt and grass!"

"Good. I hate this monkey suit anyway, and Yuna is always telling me I look like the Joker wearing it anyway." Rin huffed. "Can you believe what she told me the other day? 'That purple suit is something you should only see Steve Harvey in'! What does that even mean!?"

Asuka couldn't help but laugh at the antics Rin told her about in her absence, but her laughter slowly died down as her warm, playful eyes shifted to concern as she pursed her lips ever so slightly. "Rin...Have you been feeling well lately? You look...worn out, and you're not really one for afternoon naps under a tree."

Rin had to hide the frown on his face at that. Was it really that obvious?

"I'm a little tired, yeah. Work has been stressful. Agreeing to let Sora help me out as an assistant is turning out to be quite the godsend right now." Rin mumbled as he rubbed his eyes, hoping to wipe whatever sleep that was left in his eyes that Asuka saw out before she could comment again. However, his attempt was futile.

"Rin, you have the darkest bags I've ever seen under your eyes. Have you even been sleeping?" Asuka asked pointedly.

"I was before you arrived..." Rin muttered as he averted his eyes.

"You do know it would be better for you to sleep in your own bed than out here, right? How did you even get here?"

"Uh...I was out for a walk and then...sort of found this tree." Rin gave a half-hearted shrug, causing Asuka to cross her arms and narrow her eyes at him. "What? It's not like anyone could do anything to me! I'm pretty much part of the police nowadays."

"That doesn't mean you should be careless," Asuka grumbled before she let out a sigh. "Seriously, must you always be like this? You overwork yourself into exhaustion and then just let yourself collapse anywhere. I'm starting to think you don't care bout yourself."

Rin gave a dismissive hum as he pulled out his phone to check the time and his messages. He was about to check his emails, but Asuka gently placed a hand on his shoulders, pulling his attention away from his cell to the worried face of his friend.

"Rin. You can't keep doing this." Asuka told him sternly, but not forcefully or angrily. There was only genuine concern in the singer's voice as she looked Rin right in the eyes.

"W-What are you talking about?" Rin asked, a little put off by the sudden tone Asuka took on.

"Rin. You're killing yourself." Asuka told him. "How long has it been since your last break?"

Rin narrowed his eyes at the Ultimate Singer, thinking slowly for a bit until it finally clicked for him. "Sora contacted you, didn't she?"

"Don't bring up that disappointed tone, Rin. She's even more worried about you, but she knows you're the most stubborn person alive!" Asuka huffed. "Honestly, I wish she would have tried it herself before calling me about it, but considering how she is and how you are, she probably has tried and you just didn't even notice."